Anyone who watches an old show, especially those from the 1960s, notices a dramatic difference in how communication was done. There was one phone in the home and there were only four numbers to dial. Some shows set in more rural towns even showed where the caller had to go through the switchboard lady to make a call.
No cell phones. No emails. The mailman delivered mail to the door and, for the most part, could tell you what you got before you looked at it. Those who wanted to track someone down for a meeting usually left a message with the secretary or knew where they could be found after work.
The modern era offers a lot of benefits as well as changes with the onset of digital communication for business. There are choices and a lot of competition so a savvy business owner can find the right communication infrastructure that meets their needs and budget.
Historical Highlights
There wasn’t a lot of change from when the telephone was introduced in 1849 until the mid-1990s when Nokia brought the first cell phones to the public market. The changes in early communication were in phone styles, phone service expansion to more rural areas, going from lines to private lines, switchboard operators to automatic calling, and being able to call long-distance or globally, even though you had to pay dearly for it.
Phone companies began adding features in the 1970s and 1980s to make calling more functional. Those included call waiting, call forwarding, and phone number tracing. You still had to have a voice recording machine to get messages.
Inventors began trying to develop a phone to bridge the gap between phone systems and computers in 1973 when Motorola created the first mobile phone. Those first phones were primarily used for the military and law enforcement. They were large, in a military style, and were a combination of phone and walkie-talkie.
While that wasn’t released to the public market, it jumpstarted a lot of other developments that launched the digital age. Nokia came out with the first cell phones the public could buy in 1996 with QWERTY keyboards.
Something else happened about the same time. Apple made computers in the late 1980s that could be used easily in the home or office. With drag-down screens and icons, suddenly no one had to be an IT expert to use them. It changed how people did business both in the office and at home.
Up sprang dial-up AOL, internet, email, search engines, and chatrooms. By the late 1990s, most businesses and employees were getting connected online and by mobile phone.
This changed business substantially because you could work from anywhere and get in touch with people anytime. You no longer had to wait for a call back because you could communicate by email or chat. There were no more “out of the office” excuses because you had a cell phone number.
The next big moves in digital came from both Apple and social media entrepreneurs like Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey. Steve Jobs revealed the first iPhone in 2007 and it revolutionized communication.
Touchscreens, apps, and the ability to do all kinds of things were not at your fingertips. Functions that were challenging on the Nokia devices, like sending an email or taking a picture, were done well on smartphones. The fact that social media was coming into its own at the time was a boom because there were apps for that.
By 2010, practically everyone was not only connected but addicted to their cell phones. That was, in part, because cell phones made business more competitive. You could now send pictures, and documents, sign documents, and send massive amounts of information from your cell phones and computers.
Further advancement of tablets, laptops, and an array of devices has amplified both functionality and competition. For many businesses, gaining customers is a matter of who gets to them first, and digital communication plays a large role in that.
Advancements now are geared toward productivity and convenience. Things changed considerably with the 2020 pandemic as many workers began working remotely so digital communication had to adjust for that as well. New things had to be developed so the business could continue evolving and some could craft an edge over competitors.
Enter the all-in-one watch that allows you to talk, play music, search for info, and monitor your health. Virtual reality also came out and that greatly affected the gaming industry as others searched for ways to use it in employee training and advertising.
Convenience Matters
One communication tool that has been evolving for several years is VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). This combines traditional phone conversations with the internet for more reliable and higher-quality phone calls.
Like so many advancements, VoIP had to offer more features than just making a call. However, the number and types of features offered depend on the VoIP company offering services.
4Voice has established itself as a major player in the VoIP market. Our features include real-time call monitoring, multiple lines, voice mail to email, text, and virtual phone numbers. Our security is paramount with a private service in a secured data control center and 24/7 customer service with engineers on call.
4Voice customizes your communication infrastructure to meet your needs and budget. Plus, it’s scalable. You can add users, lines, and locations at any time easily with a phone call. Contact us to help you use all the digital communication age can offer.
